That Time Charlie Chaplin Almost Got Assassinated In Japan
Accidentally stumbling into a coup d’etat
“Chaplin is a popular figure in the United States and the darling of the capitalist class. We believed that killing him would cause a war with America, and thus we could kill two birds with a single stone.”
— Lt. Seishi Koga, confession during trial, Japan Times, Shibly Nabhan
When one thinks of the beginnings of World War II, one often thinks of dictators, armies, and general chaos. However, life went on before the conflict broke out, including the movie industry. During a trip to promote his movie “City Lights” in May of 1932, Charlie Chaplin would find the world was changing in a startling series of events.
The actor, who was at the height of global fame, would read books about the enchanting land of Japan and want to see it with his own eyes. He’d load up his staff and friends on a ship, steaming through the Suez Canal on an Asian tour, which would end up in Japan. Little did Chaplin know this magical country was in the midst of bloody changes.
On his arrival, nothing would appear out of the ordinary — if anything it was fantastic. According to Shibly Nabhan’s article, thousands awaited Chaplin’s ship at the docks and airplanes dropped leaflets. He’d recount a sea of…
